Julio Alves (he/him/his) directs the Jacobson Center, coordinates the first-year writing program, and co-chairs the Writing and Public Discourse Committee, which is charged with planning, implementing, and assessing the teaching of writing at Smith.  Currently, he teaches ENG 110, Writers on Writing:  An Introduction to the Craft and Business of Writing Narratives, offered in the spring.

A linguist by training, Julio is interested in writing pedagogy, narrative nonfiction, and language use and policy. He has published in both academic journals (American Anthropologist, Humor: International Journal of Humor Research, Language in Society), and in mainstream publications (The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, the Daily Hampshire Gazette).  He lives in Northampton and likes to raise chickens in his spare time.